Developing economies, technologies, and talent “A recent study by Nielsen found more than three quarters (76%) of business leaders expect their business model in five years will differ significantly compared to today; only 48% believe their organization is prepared for the future; 43% are confident they have the systems and processes in place to be able to spot early indicators of change; and 59% acknowledge it will be difficult or extremely difficult to navigate their organization forward through the next five years.“ Regan Leggett, Executive Director, Thought Leadership and Foresight, Southeast Asia, North Asia and Pacific at Neilsen September 3, 2016 A Wide Lens Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent, and a leading driver of the global economy. Nick Sutcliffe, executive director of The Conference Board for Asia explains “what you have to remember is that the region consists of China, the ten markets in ASEAN, Korea and Japan and Taiwan, then Australia, New Zealand and India and more. So ‘Asia’ consists of about 48 different countries, all at a different level of economic development.” While it is impossible to generalize about so diverse a collection of economies, some truths apply to all. “Look at the world: [...]

What is the Gig economy? With a name appropriated from performance culture where musicians play a limited engagement, or a “gig,” the gig economy describes the expanding labor market comprised of contract workers, freelancers, crowdsourced workers, and others who are hired for limited engagements, as well as platform-based systems—think ride sharing, delivery, and property rentals. Independent work is growing with the internet, and expanding from developed to developing economies as more of the world becomes digitally connected. “The historical notion of an employee is no longer viable, and it is imperative to learn the new rules that govern the overwhelming number of workers joining the gig economy. We knew what drove employees when they were within our four walls, but now we have to learn how to manage them spread across cities, countries, and even the globe.” - Stowe Boyd, “Swift Trust in the Gig Economy”, WorkFutures.com, February 2018 “Where giggers were once responding to market conditions, they are now creating the conditions, disrupting the traditional workforce as we know it.” - Korn Ferry Institute Many workers who engage in the gig economy choose independent work, and others do so out of necessity. Organizations that employ independent workers are finding [...]